Machine for forming wheel-hubs from tubular blanks.



N0. 638,!83. Patented Nov. 28, I899.

F. L. MOORE. I MACHINE FOR FORMING WHEEL I'IUBS FROM TUBULAR BLANKS.

(Applicafion filed Jan. 9, 1899. Renew ed Nov. 6, 1899.)

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No. s3a,|a3. Patented Nov. 23, I899.

' F. L. mums. MACHINE FOR FORMING WHEEL HUBS FROM TUBULAR BLANKS.

(Application filed Jan. 9, 1899. Renewed Nov. 6, 1899.) (No Model.)

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FRANK L. ll/IOORE, OF CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO EMILY E.SMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

' MACHINE FOR FORMING WHEEL-HUBS FROM TUBULAR BLANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,183, dated November28, 1899. Application filed January 9,1899. Renewed November 6, 1899.Serial No. 736,062. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. MOORE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago Heights, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Usein Forming Wheel-Hubs from Tubular Blanks, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates particularly to an improvement in machines for usein the first step of the process of forming wheel-hubs from tubularblanks. v

The manner of forming a wheel-hub from a tubular blank, it may bestated, is first to operate upon the blank with a machine capable ofrolling or bulging the metal out to form two annular enlargements,ridges, or corrugations at the required distance apart to form thespoke-attachment flanges, and, after said ridges have been formed, tooperate further upon the blank with suitable dies to compress saidridges in the direction of the length of the blank, and thereby toflatten them into aplane perpendicular to the axis of the blank, whenthey can be perforated by means of a punch or multiple drill forreception of the spokes.

My object is to provide a machine of simple construction capable ofrapidly performing the first operation mentioned and overcoming many ofthe objections present in the operation of machines commonly used forthis purpose-such, for instance, as an 0bjectionable deforming of theblank by buckling or twisting.

I accomplish my purpose by providing mechanism of such construction thatthe blank is clamped between the relatively movable sections of arotatable die provided with interior annual grooves and is operated uponfrom the interior preferably by a rollerequipped shaft movable parallelto its axis to cause said rollers to press or bulge the metal outwardinto the annular grooves of the inclosing die.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of myimproved machine, the drivingpulley on one shaft and a link connectingthe other two shafts being removed and the shafts shown in .section;Fig. 2, a vertical section taken as indicated at line 2 of Fig. 4, thegears being shown in elevation; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical sectiontaken on line 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. t, a longitudinal horizontal section online4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a longitudinal section of the tubular blankfrom which the wheel-hub is formed, and Fig. 6 a similar section of theblank after it has been operated upon by my improved machine.

The machine comprises, preferably, a horizontally-disposed frame A,secured to a suitable bed or base-block B by bolts t; a separabletwo-part die 0, supported within a rotating member, preferably a gear D,said gear being provided with hub extensions D, journaled in two-partbearings A, forming part of the fixed frame A; a gear E, fixed by a key3 to a drive-shaft F, upon an enlargement F thereof, said shaft beingjournaled in a two-part bearing E and equipped with a driving-pulley F,and a roller-equipped twopart shaft G G within the die C and supportedby arms or links H H, non-rotatab1y carried by a shaft H itselfnon-rotatably supported in a slide H longitudinally movable on a guide Aforming a part of the frame A and connected with an adjustingscrew Hequipped with a hand-Wheel H and rotatable, but immovablelongitudinally, within a standard H secured to an end of the frame A.

The die C, comprising two parts '0 and C is conveniently made in boxform to slip into a central perforation or die-chamber r, of rectangular cross-section, in the gear D, Where it is held againstlongitudinal movement by a pin or key 4, Figs. 2 and at, extendingthrough the gear and engaging a transverse groove on the lower surfaceof the box-like die. The part C of the die bears against the adjacentvertical Wall of the die-chamber, while the part C is movable parallelto the axis of the gear I) to permit the separation of the twodie-sections for insertion of a hub-blank. Two short arms or lugs 19 p,pivotally secured by pins p to the gear D and provided with cam-surfacesp eccentric to the pins 19 serve to force the die-section C close to itscompanion member to clamp the hub-blank between said die members.

The section G- of the two-part shaft within the die 0 comprises aportion a, fixed to the arm H, into the inner end of which screws aportion 11, provided at one end with a socket and toward the other endwith a reduced portion n upon which is journaled a roller a The reducedportion 91 is of smaller diameter than the adjacent portion of the partn, so that the roller is confined against longitudinal movementon theshaft in either direction. The section G of said shaft comprises a partm, fixed to the arm H, and a portion m, screwing into the inner end ofthe part m and provided with reduced portions m and m the former ofwhich is equipped with a roller m and the latter of which fits into thesocketed end of the adjacent shaft-section when the parts are together,as illustrated.

The die 0 is provided with inner circumferential grooves or channels Z,with which the rollers mentioned register and into which the bulgingmetal of the blank is received as the shaft G G is moved parallel toitself by the hand-wheel H while the gear D and the die within it arebeing rotated.

The arm H is readily movable on the shaft H to which it is secured by awinged setscrew 7t, said shaft being allowed to project a sufficientdistance beyond the arm to permit sufficient latitude of movement forthe inner end of the shaft-section G to clear the end of the die 0 inorder that the arm H may be swung about the shaft H and the way leftclear for the removal or insertion of a blank. A featherj on the shaft Hand fitting within grooves on the interior surfaces of theshaft-receiving perforations of the parts H and H serves to preventrotation of the parts with relation to each other. A set-screwj servesto hold the shaft H against longitudinal movement.

Adjustment set-screws h on the portions A of the fixed frame serve tolimit the movement of the slide H toward the left, marking the locationof the shaft G G concentrically with the die, and adjustable set-screwsg on the slide serve to limit the movement of the slide toward theright, being in such position as to strike against the standard H at theinstant when the metal in contact with the rollers has been forced intoclose contact with the grooves l.

The operation is as follows: WVhile the shaft G G is in a positionconcentric with the die 0, the arm H is loosened on the shaft H byunscrewing the set-screw 7c andis then moved outward to permit theshaft-section G to be swung away from the die. The pivoted lugs orclamping memberspp are then swung outward to permit the die-section O tobe separated from its companion member to allow a hub-blank I to beintroduced or removed, as the case may be. When the blank is properlylocated within the die, the pivoted lugs are forced inward and by theircam or eccentric action force the die-section 0 toward the section 0.The shaft-section G is then returned to and secured in its properposition,

after which the rotating parts are set in mo-' tion, the gear D servingto rotate the die 0. The screw H is then turned to the right and throughthe medium of the slide H shaft H and arms H H the shaft G G is movedout of center to cause the rollers 72 m to engage the interior of therotatingtubular blank. Pressure sufficient to produce the annular ridgesd on the exterior surface of the blank (shown in Fig. 6) is readilyapplied at the wheel H and the blank is taken from the machine inperfect order for the next opera tion.

Changes in details of construction within the spirit of my invention maybe made. Hence I wish to be understood as intending no lim-' itation bythe particular and minute description given above. For instance, anobvious change in the construction would be to permit the shaft G G torotate with the rollers thereon, the latter being firmly fixed thereto,though disadvantages would follow such a change. In the appended claimsI desire to be understood as intending by the use of the termroller-equipped shaft to include a shaft whereupon the rollers or theirequivalent are firmly fixed.

WVhile the machine is intended principally for use in the formation ofwheel-hubs, the invention is not limited to this particular purpose.

What Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. Thecombination of a frame, a rotatable gear journaled in the frame providedwith a die-chamber, means for imparting motion to the gear, adiecomprising aplurality of longitudinally-separable parts carried by thegear, means for fixing the die parts in their closed position, a slideconnected with the frame, a roller-equipped shaft extending through saiddie and supported at both ends from said slide, and means for movingsaid slide to produce eccentricity in a required degree between shaftand die, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of a frame, a rotating member journaled therein, adie carried by and rotating with said member and provided with innercircumferential grooves, a separable two-part roller-equipped shaftextending into said die the shaft parts being sustained from supports atopposite ends of said die, and means for supporting said shaft andproducing eccentricity between shaft and die, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

3. The combination of a frame, a rotating member journaled therein, adie carried by and rotating with said member and provided with innercircumferential grooves, a shaft extending through said die providedwith loosely-j ourn aled rollers registering with said grooves, andmeans for supporting said shaft and producing eccentricity between shaftand die, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of aframe, a die-bean ing gear journaled therein, adrive-gear connected with said first-named gear, a die provided withinner circumferential grooves, a slide connected with the frame, aseparable two-part shaft extending into said die provided withlongitudinally-confined looselyj ournaled rollers, said shaft beingsupported from said slide, and means for moving the slide to produceeccentricity in a required degree between shaft and die, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of a frame, a die-bearing gear journaled therein, adrive-gear connected with said first-named gear, a die provided withinner circumferential grooves, a slide connected with the frame, a shaftfixed to said slide, a two part shaft extending through said die, an armfixedly secured to the slide-supported shaft and to one part of thetwo-part shaft, an arm slidably and nonrotatably connected with saidslide-supported shaft'at its opposite end and supporting the second halfof the two-part shaft, rollers journaled on the two-part shaft, andmeans for moving the slide longitudinally of the machine-frame to movethe shafts parallel to themselves, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

6. The combination of a frame A, journaled gears E and D, two-part die 0provided'with inner circumferential grooves, means for fixing the dieparts in their closed position, roller-equipped shaft G G extendingthrough said die, slide H shaft H arm H connecting the shaft ends at oneside of the machine, arm H" slidably and non-rotatably joined to shaft Hand bearing part G of shaft G G, and screw mechanism connecting frameand slide for producing eccentricity of shaft G G with relation to die0, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination of a frame, a die comprising a plurality oflongitudinally-separable parts provided with inner circumferentialgrooves, means for fixing the die parts in their closed position, meansfor supporting and rotating the die, a roller-equipped shaft extendingthrough the die and projecting beyond the ends thereof, and meansconnected with the two ends of the shaft and movably connected with theframe for supporting the shaft and producing eccentricity with relationto the die, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

FRANK L, MOORE.

In presence of- DAN W. LEE, A. T. SPENCER.

